According to the Business Journal, the Lawrence Group now owns several buildings across from the SSNB Tower, which it rehabbed into condos.



It now owns:

Grandview Arcade - 3600 S. Grand (30,000 sf)

Lutz Building - 3552 S. Grand

Farmers and Merchants Building - also 3552 S. Grand



The Grandview and Lutz buildings will have apartments on the upper floors and first floor retail.  The F&M Building will have office space and first floor retail.  Work will begin in one to three years.



They will also develop the vacant lots around the SSNB Building as part of a $20 million phase II of that project.  The new buildings will have retail space and possibly apartments above.

This all sounds great. I hope they get moving on it, as I believe they've owned a couple of these buildings for a while now (I know, I know, these things take time).

Now that the SSNB Building is (almost) sold out, I would assume the Grandview Arcade Building will be the next one redeveloped?



This area has a lot of potential. I'm glad the SSNB Building is done and most of the units have sold, but I must admit I'd be reticent to buy there with the condition of other nearby properties. So if Lawrence Group can renovate the buildings they've acquired and add new construction nearby, this area could really have a new lease on life.



It would also be great for the nearby Gravois Park area, and hopefully it would spur investment further south along Grand toward the Chippewa intersection (which looks really sad now that McDonalds and Nettie's are both shuttered).

When looking at the condos in the SSNB building I was pleasantly surprised how much more you get for your money verses the options downtown. I think this development makes a great affordable option and besides South City's restaurant selection is superior.

Potentially great news. That beautiful building across Grand has been empty for nearly 10 years.

How amazing would it be to see the S. Grand restaurant/retail district grow south to this corner and beyond. Too bad there is such a dead space around the Schnucks. It seems the businesses in the old buildings on the west side of Grand across from the Schnucks entrance are always doomed to failure because there is zero foot traffic down there. I wonder if developments at Grand and Gravois will always be isolated they way they are now? Too much clearance for fast food, Schnucks parking, Blockbuster etc has really damaged the functional urban-pedestrian fabric in that area.

The fast-food joints on the west side of Grand really kill pedestrian traffic as well. I imagine Grand and Gravois as a pretty cool intersection before the gas station and fast-food places went in.

The reformatting of Schnucks should be a top priority. Maybe a zoning overlay with facade improvement is in order. Perhaps the ground floor of the South Side Tower could serve as a temporary Schnucks location while they rebuild their store and orient it towards South Grand, Cherokee, and Gravois rather than a parking lot facing Potomac.

It would also be great for the nearby Gravois Park area, and hopefully it would spur investment further south along Grand toward the Chippewa intersection (which looks really sad now that McDonalds and Nettie's are both shuttered).

Nettie's closed? sad ... my grandmother worked there for years and years ... apparently the Netties kids really ruined the place. that's what i hear anyway.

^

Bought out by Walter Knoll.

KNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :hell:

urban_dilettante wrote:

It would also be great for the nearby Gravois Park area, and hopefully it would spur investment further south along Grand toward the Chippewa intersection (which looks really sad now that McDonalds and Nettie's are both shuttered).

Nettie's closed? sad ... my grandmother worked there for years and years ... apparently the Netties kids really ruined the place. that's what i hear anyway.

They had really gone down hill. The last straw was when I bought a dozen roses for my (then) girlfriend on Valentine's Day: the flowers were dead four days after I gave them to her.

This is awesome news to me. Ever since I moved back/into the city in December, this intersection has always struck me during my drive to and from work.

You've got a few brilliant buildings right there. One is the tall Southside Bank Tower which Lawrence has already re-developed. The other is the Farmers & Merchants Trust Co. building that is now under permit (plus the building attached, I presume). And the third is the hidden arcade building which I believe technically sits on Grand and Miami.

They're great buildings at a busy intersection. It's a struggling piece of the city, and utilizing these buildings at this intersection to their full potential could go a long ways towards spurring a renaissance of sorts, IMO.

I'm sure we're years away from this, but with any luck these developments will be successful and we'll eventually see the fast food restaurants and gas stations across the street torn down and replaced with a more substantial built environment. The Walgreens just a little west on Gravois isn't anything special—its pretty much their standard store—but it is at least built up to the street on Gravois. Replace White Castle with a more substantial corner building, and the park next to Walgreens could stay as is.

I've always said that if I was loaded and could develop as a hobby, that intersection would be one of the first I'd set my sights on. I'm glad to see it's getting some attention.

Anyone know if the Lawrence Group is planning to rehab the building immediately south of one they're working on now?

Is this the one you're referencing?


via BuiltStLouis.com | http://www.builtstlouis.net/ssnb2.html

I have no idea, but I really hope so. As I mentioned in my post from a few months back, these three buildings are really great and I'd love to see good use made of them again.

EDIT:

You can see from the other photos at that link, that Lawrence Group once had plans to renovate the Grand Arcade, but that obviously fell through. Perhaps they simply put those plans on ice and could bring them back soon.

Work seems stalled out on this... anyone on the forum got an in with the Lawrence Group and know what's going on?